Principal Programme Officer, Gender at ECOWAS Commission

Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is recruiting for Principal Programme Officer Gender

Job Title: Principal Programme Officer Gender
Reference: ECW-COMM/REC/GEN-P/001/2012

Location: Dakar, Sénégal
Department: Human Development & Gender
Directorate: ECOWAS Gender Development Centre
Grade: P5
Annual Salary: USD 52,273 - USD 59,100
Supervisor: Director Gender Center

Job Description
The incumbent leads the coordination of programmes of the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre and is responsible for the various sub-programmes, its management mechanisms and ensuring that the programmes progress towards the delivery of the expected outcomes. He/she ensures the coherence of the various programmes, develop and maintain the appropriate environment to support individual projects within each programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Work with Programme Officers to plan implementation of each programme and monitor its overall progress, resolving issues and initiating corrective action as appropriate
• Responsible for the Quality Assurance and overall integrity of all Programmes implemented, ensuring internal consistency of Programmes and its coherence with resource planning and interfaces with other Programmes.
• Provide technical support to member-countries for planning and implementing programmes related to the promotion of gender equity and equality within the sub-region
• Managing programmes budget on behalf of the Director, monitoring the expenditures and costs against delivered and realized benefits as programmes progress.
• Ensure effective communication with all stakeholders that are directly or indirectly involved with programmes
• Ensure risks to the success of Programmes’ successful outcome are well managed
• Provide input for future programme planning, evaluations, and future proposals
• Report progress of all programmes at regular intervals to the Director
• Liaise and partner with other experts in gender and development related fields to discuss and exchange best practices
• Ensure that lessons learnt are disseminated and incorporated into the central programmes and other initiatives

Qualifications/Experience/Skills

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in social sciences or a relevant discipline.
• A minimum of 10 years of progressive responsible experience in project/programme management or related area with minimum of 2 years in supervisory role.
• Advanced degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) will reduce the required work experience to 8 years
• Experience with projects, particularly in the area of gender equity and equality is an advantage.
• Candidates should not be 50 years old or over at the point of recruitment and must be a citizen of one of the ECOWAS member states.
• Must be fluent in one of the official languages of the Commission; English, French and Portuguese. A working knowledge of another would be an advantage.

Competencies (Skills, Knowledge and Abilities)

Encouraging Innovation and Managing Change: Commitment to challenging the status quo and look for new and better ways of delivering the objectives. Apply interpretative and creative thinking in relation to the scope of Programmes and demonstrate a proactive and enthusiastic approach to embedding this in practice. Able to adapt and deal with situations and manage expectations during periods of change, especially in the eyes of the stakeholders and can take account of the broader perspective and how it affects the individual Projects and wider Programme priorities

Working Together: Able to create a shared sense of purpose and commitment amongst the disparate members of Project teams through networking and sharing best practice across the Programmes. Able to secure active stakeholder management/ownership of the Programme and broker relationships at all levels. Can demonstrate the sensitivities required to balance and resolve the tensions in working with a wide range of contacts (both internally and externally at senior levels) and preserve the Programme’s key objectives through effective consultation and negotiation to achieve the right perspective and the required outcomes.

Achieving and Improving: Can take personal responsibility for successful management of Centre’s programmes and for ensuring these are focussed on delivery of set objectives. Actively co-ordinate each programme, the relationship with other programmes and the interface to Centre’s mandate. Understanding of budgetary control and resource allocation procedures. Maintains a key strategic focus by effectively identifying, analysing and prioritising risks/issues external to the Programme and reconciling these with internal priorities. Provide delegated authority, as required, to ensure the Programme meets its objectives and achieves the right balance between quality, time, cost and risk. Can challenge where necessary to continuously improve working methods, systems and processes.

Communicating Effectively: Able to effectively represent the Centre’s objectives and explain its purpose/benefits to the ECOWAS community clearly and positively to internal and external customers/stakeholders. Able to demonstrate an understanding of the broader and strategic context of Programmes and be able to interpret, influence and apply that into effective outcomes. Persuade stakeholders/customers to accept a particular way forward, sometimes dealing with resistance and negotiating to reach an agreed way forward

Leading and Managing Others: Effectively deploy leadership qualities and management skills to ensure that Programmes stay on track. Able to effectively draw upon the various skills and talents of different people both within and outside the Programme Implementation team to achieve programme deliverables. Communicate a clear vision of the future direction and role of Programmes Implementation and provide constructive and positive support when things go wrong so that lessons can be learned and improvements made. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the principles of managing people by valuing diversity and encouraging and supporting staff.

Application Closing Date
31st October 2012

Method of Application
Interested and Qualified Candidates Should
Click Here To Apply Online